Lima, 9th November 1822

Lima, 9th November 1822.[1]

A considerable time has now elapsed since I last wrote you, and a much longer time has intervened since I had the pleasure of receiving a letter from you. Although I have not communicated with you directly during this time, yet I suppose you are well acquainted with my various circum­stances in this part of the world, through means of my letters sent from time to time to my friends in Edinburgh. Since my leaving my native country, I have experienced much of the gracious goodness of our heavenly Father, in directing my steps, in making darkness light before me, and crooked things straight. The encouragements I have met with in my endeavours to forward the Lord's cause in South America, have been, much greater than could have been expected before the trial was made.  I think a door has been opened here which will never be shut, but which will, I trust, from one year to another, open wider and wider, until it become,  in the  Apostle's language, "great and effectual." Should I  say, there are  no adver­saries, and that all goes on prosperously, without any difficulty or discouragement from any quarter,— should I say this, it would be nearly the same as telling you, that a great miracle had taken place here, and had changed the nature of man.  You, of course, expect no such wonderful accounts.  At the same time,  it is a gratifying thing to be able to state, that far  less opposition has been met with than was expected.  Difficulties, I be­lieve, of whatever kind, will grow fewer and weaker as Time runs on, bearing in his hand the torch of heavenly light; whilst, on the other hand, means and opportunities of doing good will greatly increase. It is surely a gratifying sight to see darkness fleeing  away,  and  the light of heaven breaking forth.  You know there is no fellowship, in any sense, between light and darkness, the one must give  place to the  other.  Wherever,  then, darkness prevails, let the people of God look to him who said, "Let there be light, and there was light;" and let them use those means which he has appointed, under the full assurance, that midnight shall give place to  the dawning  light, and  that again to noon day.

That  a great and happy change is about to take place in our hitherto unfortunate,  unhappy world, the Scriptures predict; and the days in which we live say, "Lift up your heads, for this happy period draweth nigh."  You who live in the land of Israel, whence the word of the Lord is sounding out on all sides,  see these things better than I can do in this far distant country. From every corner of the earth mes­sengers are daily landing on your happy shores with tidings of joy.  One says, Babylon is fallen; another cries, the gods of the heathen are fa­mished;  whilst a third shouts aloud, Satan falls like lightning to the ground. I almost envy this felicity of yours; yet I would not exchange con­ditions with you.   Solitary and alone as I am here, I would not wish myself elsewhere, because I believe I am placed where God would have me to be; and, I trust, his work, in one shape or another, is all my concern.  I do, however, wish myself otherwise circumstanced. I should be glad to have with  me one or more with whom I could always communicate in the ways and work of the Lord, and whose counsels and labours might prove a blessing to  me and  to many.  You,  my dear brother, who dwell in Mount Zion, have never experienced the disadvantage of being thus alone. Should  I come into your thoughts when you bow your knees unto the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, I beg you  to pray that grace, and mercy, and peace may be multiplied unto me,  and that the Lord's work may prosper in South America.

In my letters to Edinburgh since my arrival in this city, I have stated the favourable reception I met with here from San Martin, and from others in the government. Since that time, the state of affairs here, in regard to politics, has considerably changed. San Martin has resigned his authority in all its parts in this country, and is gone to Chile. The Congress was installed on the 20th September, into whose hands he delivered all the concerns of the government, and next morning, at four o'clock, he set off for Chile. When he took the reins of go­vernment into his own hands, under the title of "Protector of the Liberty of Peru," he promised to resign his authority as soon as a general Con­gress could be assembled; and by his resignation at the time proposed, he justified his sincerity in the eyes of the world. During the time he was in power, reports were current that he was desirous to make himself king of Peru. His conduct, how­ever, has shown, that these reports were without foundation. As far as my own affairs here are concerned, I should have been glad that he had remained longer in the country, and, if I am not mistaken, Peru would have been benefited by his stay. San Martin is an intelligent and liberal-minded man. He is very desirous of promoting the progress of South America in knowledge, and he is free from those prejudices which  hinder its advancement. The Congress has now been  as­sembled for several weeks, and has been occupied with various concerns relative to the government of the country. From their own number they have chosen three to discharge the duties of the execu­tive government. This triumvirate is to continue until a constitution be drawn up, and a new Con­gress assembled, composed of representatives chosen in every province of Peru. This complete repre­sentation of the country cannot be obtained whilst the Spaniards are in possession of a considerable part of it, as they actually are at this moment. At present there is great distress felt here by the go­vernment, for want of money to carry forward the operations of the war. This appears to be the chief obstacle in preventing the general independence of Peru. Troops are not wanting, as, in addition to those brought by San Martin, and those who have since been raised in the country, General Bolivar has sent about 2,000 well-experienced troops from Quito,  as affairs  in that part have now been brought to a favourable conclusion. 

The English merchants here have just given the government a loan of 70,000 dollars,  by way of helping them out of their difficulties. An expedition sailed some weeks ago for Arica, and we anxiously look for the result. All that part of the country is in possession of the Spaniards, as well as nearly all the best provinces of the kingdom.  Notwithstanding the possessions  which Spain still holds in Peru, the independence of the country is not at all doubtful. It may, in­deed, by the mismanagement of the Congress, or by some other misfortune, be retarded, but it must ere long completely prevail. I believe there are no remains of the Spanish arms now existing in America, except those in our neighbourhood, and about 1500 men in the isles of Chiloe. What a change, in this respect, has taken place within these few years past! And let not this revolution be considered as a small matter by the man of benev­olence and the Christian. The interests of reli­gion and of humanity are very closely connected with it. That once dreadful, now innoxious house, the Inquisition, reminds me, as I daily pass it, of the happy change which has taken place. True it is, that the Spaniards have now put down the In­quisition throughout their Dominions; still, how­ever, there are many inquisitorial things yet sub­sisting in Spain that do not exist in the independent states of South America. Every effort has been used by Spain to retard the progress of knowledge in America. These days, however, have now gone by, and light of every kind begins to dawn on these countries. My own opinion is, that the na­tions of South America in a few years will far outstrip many of the nations of Europe. The people here, to a certain extent, are conscious of their ignorance, and are desirous of wiping out that stain which Spain has left upon them.

I have hitherto been speaking of the progress of knowledge in general in South America, and its probable results. I shall now say something of the progress making in the knowledge of religion. You know, of course, that the Roman Catholic religion is the only religion professed in this Continent—as it once was the only one in Great Britain. Many are beginning to see through this system, and to find out its inconsistencies. I wish I could also say, that all who see thus far, have attained to the knowledge of the true religion, as laid down in the New Testament. This, however, is not the case. On the contrary, I am sorry to say, that deistical principles are espoused by the greater part of those who get out of the trammels of popery. A good many in the higher ranks, particularly in the army, are of this way of think­ing. This state of things need not surprise us. It is perhaps the natural result, or transition, in those places where no other religion is known than the one professed in this country. A man begins to see the absurdity of the Catholic system, and from his infancy all that is religion with him has been con­nected with it. In giving up this system, he gives up with religion itself, as considering popery and it the same thing. From these circumstances, I con­ceive this to be the most favourable time for introducing, as far as can be done, the holy religion of our Lord Jesus Christ. The present is the time for labouring in this field, by introducing the Scriptures, and by every other means which prudence may dictate. Prejudice is growing less every day, and this is the result of the revolution. There is even a perceptible difference between the different parts of this Continent in regard to the decrease of pre­judice. In Chile there is less than in Lima, be­cause it has been longer independent. Again, there is still less in Buenos Aires than in Chile, for the same reason.

Having mentioned Buenos Aires, I cannot leave it without eulogizing it, in almost the highest degree, in regard to the progress it is making. One reform succeeds another in rapid succession. They are just about to put a stop to monarchism, and to take the church property into their own hands, paying the clergy out of the public treasury. It is said also, that they are about to pass a law for religious toleration. In every re­spect Buenos Aires now holds the first rank among the cities and countries of South America. To have one place thus stepping forward by way of pattern to the rest is of immense advantage. There are several periodical works of a superior kind issuing from the presses in that city. In these every subject is freely discussed, prejudices attacked, and reforms proposed. The liberty of the press is enjoyed and acted upon there in the same manner as it is in England. The articles published in the Buenos Aires papers and magazines find their way gradually into the papers of Chile and Peru, and thus prepare the way in these places also for following up, ere long, the same reforms and arrangements that are now going forward in the pattern city I have mentioned. In this city, also, the liberty of the press is enjoyed to a con­siderable extent. This, however, only commenced about two or three months ago, upon the dethrone­ment of the principal Secretary of State. This individual, though a great friend to reform himself, and from whom I met with every encouragement, wished to keep these things in his own hand, at least for some time, and to grant the freedom of the press by degrees. The plan of ecclesiastical reform published in Buenos Aires was also pub­lished in the public paper of this city. Various other things of a similar nature are thus indirectly brought under the consideration of the people of Peru; and coming from Buenos Aires, they are better received than they would be, coming from any part of Europe, especially from a Protestant country. We had also an attack upon the friars of Lima the other day, in one of the publications of this city, whose editor is one of the Secretaries of Congress. These things you will consider as the fruits of the revolution in South America; and the time fast approaches, when we shall see still more abundant fruits, and those too of the best kind. The Lord reigneth, let the earth be glad!

"With respect to the climate of this place, you know, we are here  fairly within the torrid  zone, the latitude of this city being 12° 2' 51" S.  A few days ago we had the sun vertical here, as he passed us on his way to the southward. Notwithstanding our proximity to the equator, we enjoy a very agreeable temperature. In the winter the sun but seldom makes his appearance; in spring he shows himself more frequently; and in summer he throws off reserve, and from his vertical throne looks down in all his magnificence. From ten o'clock till two, it is pretty hot, but about this hour a refreshing breeze springs up from the south, which is very agreeable. It is generally said, that it never rains in Lima. This, however, is not quite correct. It does rain a very little in the winter season; but the drops, when they can be recognized as such, seem to have passed through the finest rain sieve. It is, in short, rather a kind of mist than rain, al­though at times it may be called by the latter name; and when it is so, the people of Lima call it a heavy shower. Before I came here I fre­quently heard this climate denominated unhealthy. The tertian ague prevails a good deal, but on the whole I do not consider this an unhealthy place. For my own part, I never enjoyed better health than I have done since my coming to this city. Blessed be God for this precious blessing!—There is one thing of a rather terrifying nature to which this place is subject, I mean earthquakes. There is no place, I suppose, more subject to them than this city. We have had several shocks since I came to it; the greatest was on the 14th September.  I was awaked at a quarter past three o'clock in the morning by a most dreadful noise. I was at no loss to know what this noise was, considering the part of the world I was in. This noise con­tinued for a few seconds, and increased. The shock then followed, and made all the house shake, as if the whole were coming to the ground. A loud hollow noise followed this for a few seconds, and on its ceasing all was tranquil as before it com­menced, and those who had fled out of their houses quietly returned. These phenomena are of fre­quent occurrence. There are, I believe, about thirty earthquakes here in the course of a year. Those, however, which throw down houses and produce other ravages are rare. Once in fifty years seems to be about the period of those terrible visita­tions, and with considerable regularity Lima has suffered severely at the return of this fatal period. The city of Quito to the north, and of Arequipa to the south, have also their periodical visitations.

[1] James Thomson. Letters on the Moral and Religious State of South America. (London: James Nisbet, 1827, pp. 49-59.

Trujillo, 15th July 1823

Truxillo, 15th July, 1823.[1]

When I wrote my last letter to Mr. S. I little  thought my next letter would be written in this place. Such, however, is the case and I proceed to mention the circumstances that have brought me  here. It is probable that what has lately taken place in Lima will reach your ears some days before this comes into your hand. The Spanish army entered that city on the 18th ultimo, the Government, the Congress, and a great number of the inhabitants having left it on the preceding day. You will  wonder at this, I dare say, after the favourable account of our affairs in my last letter. It has also been a subject of wonder  unto us all, and of consternation to not a few.  I mentioned  in my last, that the Spaniards had collected a considerable force in Jauja.  They had left Arequipa, and collected in Jauja with the intention of coming down upon Lima. They had made this movement when the independent army was sadly crippled, and when there was no efficient force to oppose their taking possession of the capital.

When, however, reinforce­ments had arrived from Colombia, and an expedition had been sent off to Arequipa, we little thought they would persevere in their intention of attacking Lima. On the contrary, we thought they would immediately retrace their steps with all speed towards Arequipa or Cuzco, to  secure to themselves the possession of these valuable provinces. The event, however, has turned out otherwise, and we now understand that they were badly informed as to the real state of their opponents. The Spaniards crossed the Andes, and came down towards Lima in a very rapid and unexpected manner, with a force of seven thousand well dis­ciplined men.

Upon their presenting themselves in the neighbourhood of the city, they were reconnoitred by the Independent Generals, and as soon as the number and discipline of the Spanish army were known, it was judged imprudent to risk a battle with them, as the patriot army is but about five thousand strong, and many of them re­cruits. The independent army considered it most advisable not only to avoid a general battle, but also to avoid defending Lima, and chose to retire to the forts in Callao. The Government and the Congress, together with a great number of the principal inhabitants, retired at the same time to Callao. A few days after, the President and Congress judged it most suitable to remove from the scene of military operations, and to take up a temporary residence in this city. They accord­ingly sailed for this place, and arrived about a fortnight ago.

We were going on with our schools in a pros­perous way on the 16th (June) when the reports of the rapid approach of the enemy, and the general confusion throughout the city, induced us to suspend our operations on that day for a week, till we should see what would take place. It was on that day quite uncertain whether the city would be defended, (for it is surrounded by a good wall,) or whether the army would retire from the city to Callao. On the following day, however, all doubt on these points was removed, as it was agreed in a council of war to abandon the city, and the army accordingly left it on the same day. At three o'clock I left Lima and went down to Callao, being assured that the enemy would enter the city that night, or at all events on the following day; I slept that night (the 17th) on board of an English vessel, lying in the harbour. It was my intention to return to Lima in four or five days, in which time I supposed the Spaniards would be in quiet possession of the place, and that order would be again restored, so that as an Englishman I might pass to Lima with a passport from the English Commodore on the station. I accordingly remained some days on board the vessel, but there was no possibility of passing from Callao to Lima with any safety during that time. On the 20th the vessel I was in clear­ed out for the port of Casma, about 200 miles to the north of Lima, and I conceived it most ad­visable to go along with her, as there was no prospect of re-entering Lima for some time. I therefore supplied myself with some dollars from a friend, as I had left Lima without money, and with scarcely any other clothes than those I had on. In two days we arrived safely in the port of Casma, and on the day after our arrival I went up to the village, which is about 8 miles distant. I was accompanied from Callao by an old friend, a priest, and a pre­bendary of the cathedral of Lima. We made our­selves acquainted with the Vicar, and were most hospitably lodged in his house. Here we staid a week. During this time the accounts from Lima continued as unfavourable as before, and numbers of people who had fled from it were arriving at Casma, and others coming on towards it. I re­solved, therefore, to come on to this city, where I arrived safely after four days travel through roads of burning sand, which were very fatiguing to our horses and to ourselves. The roads all along the coast of Peru are of this description. Here and there, at distances of from twenty to forty miles, there is a river, and in the valley through which it runs, vegetation of every kind shoots out luxuriantly, and nothing is wanting but hands of industry to raise cotton, sugar, coffee, and all the tropical fruits. My friend, the preben­dary, remained in Casma, but I was accompanied to this place by two other emigrants from Lima, and on our arrival here we found not less than a thousand people of all conditions under similar circumstances with ourselves. Numbers have since arrived, and reports say that nearly ten thousand have left Lima, some having gone to one place and some to another. Notwithstanding these unfavourable circumstances, we expect all to return to the capital before long; it may, however, be three or four months.

            From what has been stated, you may perhaps think that the cause of independence here is losing ground fast, or that it is in a hopeless condition. This, however, is not the case. The Spaniards will, I believe, be under the necessity of leaving Lima in the course of a very few months; and in the mean time they have lost the valuable province of Arequipa, as there are accounts of the safe arrival of the expedition which sailed some time ago for that quarter, and of some advantages they have already gained, and also of the speedy prospect of taking possession of all that place, the Spanish force there being but small. The independent army will probably march on towards Cuzco, where the Viceroy is stationed with a force of about 15,000 men, and the ancient capital of the Incas may very soon become the scene of the contest for liberty—the contest of truth and freedom, with ignorance and oppression; and may the righteous cause prevail.

            I have long had a great desire of visiting some of the interior parts of this country, and present circumstances offer a favourable opportunity. I intend, in a day or two, to leave this city for Caxamarca, and from thence I purpose to go to Jaen de Bracamoros. If the accounts I there obtain are favourable, I shall go down the great river Marañon or Amazon, as far as the mouth of the Huallaga or the Ucayali. I may then perhaps as­cend some of the rivers which fall into the Marañon from the north, and go on in this way towards Quito. If  I should be able to get on so far, I shall then descend from Quito to Guayaquil, and from thence by sea to Callao. I have got leave of absence for four months, and have obtained a letter of recommendation from the President to the governors of those places through which I intend to pass. I trust this journey is undertaken with the same views which induced me to leave my native country. I trust the Lord will protect me from every evil, will surround me with his almighty arm, and will guide and comfort me by his Spirit.

P. S.—21st July, 1823.-—On the day after writing the above, some accounts reached this place that the Spanish army was beginning to retreat from Lima. In consequence of this, I deferred my journey until certain accounts upon this subject should arrive. These accounts have now been fully confirmed. The Spaniards be­gan their retreat on the 8th current, and the last division of their army was to leave Lima on the evening of the 16th, or on the day fol­lowing.

            As Lima is now open, from the retiring of the Spaniards, I have given up for the present my journey to  the river Amazon,  and to-morrow I set out for Lima overland. The day before yesterday the Congress was dis­solved here, and a Senate has been appointed in its stead.

[1] James Thomson. Letters on the Moral and Religious State of South America. (London: James Nisbet, 1827), pp. 83-89.

Lima, 8th August 1823

Lima, 8th August, 1823.[1]

My last letter to you was dated 9th November last, and which I hope came safely into your hands. Though the interval between my letters to you be considerable, yet I always suppose you acquainted with what occurs to me here during these intervals, through my letters to our mutual friends in Edinburgh. I therefore consider it unnecessary to go over all that has happened here since I last wrote to you, and shall confine myself to what is going forward at the present time. I am sorry that I have so much to say that may be called of an unfavourable nature. In my letter to Mr. H, from Truxillo, I stated the cause of my removal to that city, and also the favourable change which had induced me to return. I arrived safely in this place on the 2nd instant, after an absence of nearly seven weeks. I found, on my return, all that I had left behind safe, nothing had been touched. The Spanish army continued in possession of Lima just twenty-eight days, during which they did considerable injury to the place, by levying contributions, confiscating property, &c.

The amount of the loss sustained, in one shape and another, is reckoned at two millions of dollars. All the property belonging to the English merchants, which was in their own ware­houses, was respected, and no loss was sustained thereon. What goods they had in the Custom­ house they were allowed to withdraw, upon paying a duty of forty per-cent. The other goods in the Custom-house, belonging to the natives of the country, were confiscated and sold on the spot. The favour thus experienced by the English, was owing to the intervention of the British Naval Com­mander in this place.[2] The Spanish General, how­ever, intimated to the English merchants that al­though he had respected their property at this time, yet in future he would not do so, but would confiscate all that belonged to them, should he return again to Lima, and that thus they might consider themselves as warned beforehand, of what they might expect, I had heard in Truxillo that the Spaniards had destroyed the palace, the mint, and some other public buildings. This, how­ever, I am happy to find, was incorrect: they have destroyed no buildings. The machinery of the mint was destroyed; and they have carried off or destroyed all the printing-presses and types they could lay their hands on. The govern­ment printing-presses and types have escaped, as they had been removed to Callao in good time. One or two presses also, belonging to private indi­viduals, have likewise been saved, having been hid at the time the rest were carried off.

I suppose you have read (and correctly too,) in the descrip­tions of this city, that the churches are immensely rich in silver. This, however, is not the case at pre­sent, I assure you. They are now completely stripped of all their former grandeur in that respect. The independent government at different times ordered considerable quantities of the silver in the churches to be taken to the mint, which was accordingly done. Upon their retreat from the city on the approach of the enemy, a few weeks ago,  nearly everything  of silver that could be well spared from the churches, was carried to the castle in Callao, to prevent its falling into the hands of the Spaniards. This proved a proper foresight, for the enemy took almost everything that had been left in the churches, and thus thoroughly stripped them. A priest observ­ed to me the other day, that it should seem the time is now come when God chooses to be served with less splendour, and with more humility. The ob­servation was good; and I wish the time were in­deed come when the supporters of this system would lay aside their own riches and righteousness in every respect, and would clothe themselves with the righteousness of Christ, and with true humility. That period is, I trust, advancing, although per­haps not so fast as we could wish. The Lord, how­ever, will bring it about in due time. The way we generally wish to do things, in our impatience, is to jump to our object; or in other words, to gain our benevolent ends all at once. This, however, is not the way the Almighty has established mat­ters in the depth of his wisdom. The end, he tells us, may be gained, yea, and shall he gained, but it can be gained only by the use of the appointed means, and by patient continuance in well doing.

The Spanish army has marched towards Arequipa along the coast. The first division under General Valdés is already at some distance, but the second division, under Canterac the Commander in chief, is only about 100 miles to the south of us. There is, however, I believe, little danger at present of his returning to Lima, as the main object of the Spaniards is to attack as early as possible the patriot army in Arequipa. That army is now of considerable strength, and much better equipped every way than the former one in that place, which was so completely defeated by the Spaniards at Moquegua. I wish the result may be favourable to the independent cause, as much certainly depends on the result.

I mentioned in my letter to Mr. H. that the Congress had been dissolved in Truxillo, and that a Senate had been appointed in its place. This was the single act of the President, and it was certainly a very bold and imprudent step, not to say anything of its injustice. The President has not yet returned to Lima, and in the mean time a strong opposition has been stirred up against him here for having dissolved the Congress. The representatives now in Lima have solemnly pro­tested against this measure, have reinstalled them­selves as the supreme council and government of the nation, and have elected the Marquis of  Truxillo to exercise the executive power. What will be the result of these operations I know not. It is probable, I think, that Riva Agüero, the Pre­sident, will give in, and be banished from the coun­try for some time. It is certainly a very unfavour­able time for internal disputes. A short time, I hope, will make all things wear a more smiling aspect, and may the Lord who reigneth in the earth, grant that this may indeed be our case. All things are in his hand. He ever reigneth, although his benignant hand may at times be invisible to us.

During the time I was at Truxillo, I formed the plan of visiting some of the aboriginal inhabitants of America, on the banks of the river Amazon. I had calculated that the Spaniards would keep pos­session of this city for about three months, and I supposed, that time would about suffice me for my intended tour. I had bought a number of glitter­ing buttons, needles, scissors, knives, fish-hooks, ribbons, &c., for presents to the natives. I had also taken out my passport, and was arranging for setting out, when accounts reached Truxillo, that a part of the Spanish army had evacuated this city. In consequence of this, I put off  my intended jour­ney, though with regret, in order to return to my duties in this place. I have long had a desire to visit those parts, and though I have not been able to effect my object at this time, my purpose is not laid aside, but only postponed until a more favour­able opportunity occur; and in the mean time I will go on collecting all the information I can, re­garding those quarters. I have a considerable de­sire to spend the greater part of my remaining days on the banks of that great river, or on the borders of some of its tributary streams.

In the Mercurio Peruano, a work of which I dare say you have heard, there are some very interesting accounts of the entrance of the Jesuits and of the Franciscan Friars into that part of the country. Their suc­cess was various. Numbers of the missionaries lost their lives in prosecution of their object, through the cruel hands of those whom they went to instruct. At length the missions in those parts made some progress, but they never were very flourishing; and even in their best state, missions under such a system were open to many objections. One single Moravian village in the midst of some wilderness would be a more gratifying sight than all the Jesuit missions put together. Though we may thus condemn their system, because truth re­quires it, yet the Missionaries themselves, generally speaking, in point of zeal and devotion to their object, are worthy of great commendation, and in many instances their conduct forcibly attracts our admiration. The accounts they have published are extremely interesting. In another point of view, also, the Missionaries have done a great service, by their study of the original languages, and by the grammars and dictionaries of these which they published. The whole of these works are by the Jesuits, and not a volume has been published since their fall. These grammars and dictionaries are now extremely scarce in this place. It has cost me a great deal of labour to obtain some of them, and others I have not yet been able to procure, but hope in time to get a copy of all their writings on those subjects, as well as of the geographical works they have published.

I believe it is not generally known in Europe that a great part, the majority of the inhabitants of Peru, are of the descendants of the ancient Peruvians under the Incas. An idea, is, I believe, pretty general with you, that the Spaniards nearly exterminated this race, as they did the inhabitants of St. Domingo and Cuba. That they destroyed vast numbers of the indigenous inhabitants of this part of the world is, alas, too true still, however, the majority here are Peruvians, and not Span­iards. There are, of course, a good many of a mixed race, and on the coast there are not a few of the sons and daughters of unhappy Africa, and their descendants. The Peruvians who live in the towns on the coast, all speak the Spanish language, and know nothing of the ancient language of Peru, called the Quichua. Between the coast and the ridge of the Andes, called the Cordillera, there are many towns, the inhabitants of which generally speak the Quichua and the Spanish, with, however, a predilection for their own native tongue. On the east of the Cordillera of the Andes, the Spanish language is but little spoken, and both Peruvians and Spaniards speak the Quichua. It is spoken, of course, with more or less purity, in these different places, a circumstance to be fully expected of an unwritten language, and among an uneducated people. I have had my attention turned to those parts of this country where the Quichua language is spoken ever since I came to Peru. I have had a great desire to communicate, in one way or another, to this ancient people, the blessings of educa­tion and the light of the Sacred Word. The Spaniards have kept them in the lowest state of mental existence, and it may be truly said, that under the Incas, the Peruvians were less igno­rant, and more virtuous, than they are at this day. At the time the Spaniards (these enemies of know­ledge) drove us from our post here, on their en­trance into Lima, we had in our school two de­scendants of the ancient Peruvians studying our system, with a view to carry instruction among their countrymen; whilst another of the same peo­ple was actually engaged in translating one of the Gospels into the Quichua language. I hope we shall be able to muster our forces again, and to go on in this good work. Pray for us that the blessing of the Almighty may be upon us, to crown us with speedy and certain success.

[1] James Thomson. Letters on the Moral and Religious State of South America. (London: James Nisbet, 1827), pp.89-97. Written to a friend in Edinburgh, also 9 Nov 1822. Tabernacle?

[2] Captain Henry Prescott, HMS Aurora (later Sir Henry Prescott) BM